Expensive? Yes. Worth It? Maybe!

Expensive? Yes! Worth it? I'm not sure! The lasting power is fabulous, the taste...isn't. Because I already own similar lip gloss colors, I don't see myself repurchasing this. But if you're looking for a high quality gloss that has staying power, Mary Zilba is your girl and Principessa's lip gloss is worth the try!

Published:
July 25, 2012

Pros:

Long lastingDoesn't dry out lipsAble to layer to customize color intensity

Mary Zilba lip gloss by Principessa Beauty is almost a light cotton candy pink. Even with one swipe, you do get a hint of color but it's so sublte that depending on your skin's natural pigment, it may not be noticable. It's subtle enough that one swipe can provide decent shine. You also can choose to layer it on a little thicker for more color since it doesn't get sticky, or apply this gloss over a similar shade of lipstick.

This lip gloss reminds me of the MAC lip glasses that I own, the feeling is very similar if not identical. It's smooth yet slick without being slippery and running/dripping off of your lips. The best feature of this gloss for me is that it doesn't get sticky or gummy. It's long lasting too! A few swipes of this lip gloss across my lips generally lasts 4 hours and at that point, the shine is gone but the color remains although slightly faded. The color doesn't stain your lips and this lip gloss won't dry your lips out either. This lip gloss left my lips feeling soft, I was impressed by it's staying power! Please keep in mind that this is lightly colored pink so it may stain any clothes or materials that it comes in to contact with. One coat of this gloss provided me with shine and didn't really add noticeable color to my lips although that likely will vary with different complexions. A big plus for me was that you can build up the color. Want a little shine and cotton candy pink lips aren't your thing? One swipe across your top lip and one across your bottom lip will provide you with decent shine and subtle color. Love the sweet candy pink look? Layer several swipes of gloss for a slick, moisturized pout! I love that this gloss doesn't drip or run. It stayed on my lips and my lips even felt softer afterwards.

This lip gloss has a light pleasant scent that is almost identical to many of MAC's lip glasses that I own. It can best be described as vanilla, but it's a lighter vanilla and by no means closer to being a strong french vanilla scent. Not overly sweet or overpowering, I love the smell of this lip gloss, it smells good enough to eat! However, please do not lick your lips no matter how tempted you may be because this lip gloss is not safe to ingest. It is not designed to have any additional special properties and it is not designed for use during oral. It may smell lovely but the taste is awful. Ingesting small amounts may not cause harm but your tastebuds will definitely not be happy with you. This lip gloss feels waxy when you lick your lips, almost as if it's coating your tongue. It has a very chemical/plastic taste to it! Avoid wearing this lip gloss during kidding and oral because the taste this leaves in your mouth is memorable, for the wrong reasons. Looking for a lip gloss to kick kissing and oral up a notch? Kama Sutra and Shunga make lip glosses that are meant for that, they are both safe to ingest and they taste delicious!

As I mentioned in the "Texture" portion of this review, wear time for this gloss was around 4 hours, pretty generous if you ask me. This survived drinking and wear throughout the day and then I felt I really needed to reapply it. The color has very decent staying power without staining your lips. At the 4 hour mark, all shine was gone and the color remained. My lips gloss wasn't glossy but my lips felt soft and didn't feel dried out so I was overall really pleased with the performance of this gloss!

Mary Zilba's lip gloss by Principessa comes packaged in a sleek, shiny, white cardstock box. It would make a perfect gift. The packaging is simple, pretty and discreet. Because this is a lip gloss that is not designed to enhance oral, nothing about the packaging screams sex! The actual lip gloss itself is packaged in a clear plastic tube with a simple label and a black twist off cap. A sponge tip applicator, commonly found with many lip glosses is attached to the wand which is attached to the cap. It's soft and provides even coverage to your lips, dispensing small amounts of gloss at a time so that you can conveniently build the color.

If this color appeals to you and you aren't looking for an edible gloss or one that will taste delicious if you should accidentally lick it off your lips, this lip gloss is worth it. The staying power is the major pro of this lip gloss. The color is pretty and I love that I could apply more to make the color more intense without it dripping off my lips or feeling tacky. I also really liked that I could layer it over some of my favorite lipsticks to create unique color combinations. I do already own very similar glosses that smell good like this one did but also taste delicious and it's that reason that I don't see myself repurchasing. If you love the color and you're looking for a long lasting gloss, Mary Zilba's lip gloss is worth the try. If you are expecting this cotton candy gloss to taste as delicious as it looks, this gloss likely isn't for you!

Follow-up commentaryI don't like it anymore9 months after original review

I've found glosses with similar color since this one that I like much better. Over time I have found this to become sticky, heavy and it's starting to smell funny. I've decided that I can find better glosses for a better price. This gloss started out as one I reached for often but now it sits at the bottom of my makeup bag.

This product was provided at a discounted price in exchange for an unbiased review. This review is in compliance with the
FTC guidelines.

Awesome review Kate!! I'm going to look into the Shunga and Kama Sutra glosses you mentioned Thanks! I do like that this one stays on so long and isn't sticky but I hate plasticky tasting glosses. I love the comparison photos at the top of you review too.

07/25/2012

Lildrummrgurl7

Thanks for the review!

07/25/2012

Loriandhubby

great review. i want to try this out. HUGS HUGS HUGS

07/26/2012

Zombirella

Great review, I'm just not sure if it's for me. I really love the Kissable glosses here at EF because of the tingling.

07/26/2012

ArmyWife4311

Great review!! Thanks for sharing!

07/26/2012

Deidrenicole

Awesome review!

07/26/2012

Stinkytofu10

Thank you for the review and taking the pictures.

07/26/2012

Gracie

Great review! I feel like if I ordered this I know what to expect because you described it so well!

07/26/2012

TheSinDoll

I'm with Gracie. I feel as if you took me on a full tour of this stuff. Love it!

07/26/2012

freud13

Fantastic review! I look forward to reading more from you.

07/26/2012

Kate

Melan!e: Thanks so much, the Kama Sutra and Shunga glosses are amazing and in a whole new category of glosses, the Shunga especially, I love them!
LoriandHubby: If you can get it while it's still on sale, go for it, it's great stuff especially for the sale price!
Zombirella: I love tingling and I love the Kissable gloss, I didn't mind the taste either and it smells awesome, which reminds me I need to restock and I wanna try out other colors.
Gracie & TheSinDoll: Thank you both so much, I wanted to include pictures because I know depending on skin pigment/complexion etc this will look different on who is wearing it so I wanted to give a good, thorough review!
Everyone else: Thank you so much for taking the time to read, rate and comment on my review, I appreciate it lots and it makes all the revisions and "duh" moments I had when trying to write a solid review on one tiny tube of pricey lipgloss, very worth it! I look forward to reading reviews from all of y'all!